Thatās a decent enough team, will see where theyāre at. Good to see Fintan finally get a start.
Why do you say that?
Surprised you ask. Sure even the Limerick lads mock him on their private members club.
Glas is always interesting talking about hurling, and well reasoned. Iām always interested in genuinely held opinions.
Galway by 10 plus points. Storm Dennis says so.
I would have thought heād be too slow to turn in there, I wouldnāt move him out of 6 of I could help it anyway, heās a powerhouse there.
Iād agree with that, but reckon heās a good full back too.
Donāt think heās good enough for cb at that level tbhā¦will be interesting to see after a few games at FB how he will do.i think heās suited to that spot tbh
What you mean? Didnāt he already win an all star at CB?
Yupā¦
Fair enough. I think the two positions are a lot more different now than they used to be, Iād see McInerney much better suited to 6 and if heās fully fit canāt see why youād take him out of there. Heās not a hurling and passing supremo like Hannon but heās a rock there.
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Mac hasnāt set the world alight at fb. Got caught a couple of times against Westmeath. Tomorrow will be a good indication of where heās at but his Tipp hatred could bring out a super showing.
That said Iām 100% pro trying new things in the league.
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Iād have thought Burke is nailed in for fullback and this approach allows OāNeill to look at a few options in the half back line while giving McInerney a chance to sharpen up his hurling. When the ground hardens up he would be badly caught for speed and mobility back there.
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A message from PƔdraic Joyce, Galway Senior Football manager
āItās hard to believe weāre already at the halfway point in this yearās Allianz League.ā
āAs expected, itās seriously competitive with little or nothing between the teams. Every point secured is incredibly valuable. A victory now can leave you in a great position to get to a league final, a defeat can suddenly leave you near the bottom and fighting relegation. We have big games coming up shortly and again in March.ā
āOur trip to Tralee to play Kerry ended in huge disappointment. Itās a game we should have won against one of the top sides in the country. With little time between games we picked ourselves up quickly and beat Donegal a week later. It was a massive two points for us in Letterkenny coming from seven points down to beat tough opposition. Once again, we had great Galway support at both games which is always hugely appreciated. It leaves us joint top of the table with Dublin and Tyrone after three games.ā
āIn closing, Iād like to express my deepest sympathies to the Byrne family in Tuam. Mickey Byrne played a big part in Galway football over the years and was hugely admired by everybody in the GAA community. He got us to the All-Ireland Minor Football Final in 1994 and the semi-final a year later. He will be sadly missed. Iād also like to remember Tadhg Meehan who passed away in the last few days. He was a great GAA man and made many a trip across the water to see his nephews and Galway play football.ā
āNext stop is Tuam and our meeting with Tyrone this Sunday where a huge crowd is expected for our only Allianz League game there this season. As always it wonāt be easy but Iām hugely looking forward to it and seeing you all there.ā
PƔdraic.
āOur Journey, Your Journeyā
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Is PJ the greatest manager in all of sports? Answer YES
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Agreed.
In PJ we trust.
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Our Journey, Your Journey
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How Joyceās belief and freedom turned Galwayās most gifted attacker into force to be reckoned with
We take a closer look at Shane Walshās display against Donegal and why heās thriving under Padraic Joyce.
Feb 12th 2020, 1:25 PM 8,279 Views 24 Comments
Padraic Joyce in conversation with his captain Shane Walsh before they played Kerry in Tralee.
Image: Diarmuid Greene/SPORTSFILE
THEREāS A GOOD argument to be made that Galway are the story of Division 1 so far and Shane Walsh has been the best player on show.
Often times it can take a new manager the entire league before his imprinting his stamp on the teamās style of play, but Padraic Joyceās impact has been immediate.
An immensely gifted forward that won two All-Irelands, a pair of All-Stars and Footballer of the Year during his playing days, itās no surprise that Joyce favours an attacking brand of football.
Chest out and collar up, he had an undoubted swagger as a player, influenced by a childhood spent idolising Eric Cantona.
He has brought that air of confidence into his managerial career.
A couple of weeks after his appointment to the hot-seat, Joyce declared that his aim was to win the FBD League, National League and the All-Ireland by the end of 2020. No three-year plan or transition talk, he was blunt and open about his ambition.
āThat is our aim. That is what we are aiming for straight away. It may sound far-fetched to a lot of people.
āBut Iām not saying we are going to win the All-Ireland in two yearsā time or three yearsā time. We are training for the 30th of August next year. Thatās when the final is on. And that is what we are training for. And if we donāt do that, Iād see it as a disappointment.ā
Humbled to meet my all time idol Eric the King Cantona back stage tonight in belfast @A_mcelvaney @ManUtd what a gentlemanā¦
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In truth, much of what Joyce has done since getting the Galway job has been a breath of fresh air. Following their round 2 league trip to Tralee, the Tribesmen stayed down in Kerry for a team night out ā an unusual move given they faced a trip to Letterkenny the following weekend.
When they edged out Donegal on Sunday, he gave a glowing endorsement of his players, which must have left them feeling ten feet tall.
āThe boys showed great character and great heart. It has been questioned in Galway before ā having heart and character and had we the bottle for these big matches?
To come to Donegal and get two points is no easy feat so hats off, Iām so proud of the lads and Iām so proud to be their manager.ā
He named Shane Walsh captain and has built the attack around the Kilkerrin-Clonberne flyer.
If the Galway manager grew up admiring Cantona, then Walsh was raised on stories of Joyce, Donnellan and Fallon. As a youngster, heād race home from school and turn on āThe History of Galway Footballā on his VHS player.
āIāve watched that easily over 1,000 times,ā he recalled in 2018. āEvery day after school I used to go home and watch it. I could probably relay the whole video back to you.ā
Galwayās All-Ireland wins of 1998 and 2001 were seared into his young mind and he could recall the commentary from those victories almost verbatim.
Joyce has long admired Walsh as a player, but felt he had more in him. After working together with the 2017 International Rules side, where Joyce served as coach, he noted that Walsh was āa very skilful footballerā but added he āneeds to apply himself a little bit more.ā
Extolling the maximum out of his most talented player is evidently high up the list of Joyceās priorities in his debut campaign in charge.
Walshās talent has never been in question. Since storming onto the scene in 2013, heās shown flashes of his breathtaking ability with the ball.
Two years earlier, he kicked nine points for Jarlaths in the Hogan Cup final defeat to St Colmanās. His personal highlight reel includes this stunning piece of control and point against Tipperary in the 2014 qualifiers.
Source: officialgaa/YouTube
The 26-year-old is almost as fast running with the ball as he is without it. He covers ground quickly, gliding across the turf with that familiar graceful style.
He was straight-jacketed for much of Kevin Walshās reign, often finding himself way back in his own defence and too far out the field to hurt the opposition.
With the breeze behind them in the first period on Sunday, Galway set-up with Damien Comer as a strike-runner from centre-forward and Walsh at full-forward.
Against the wind, Comer dropped deeper as a third midfielder and Walsh went to 11, dictating more of the play further from goal.
He hurt Donegal with his runs from deep after half-time. From 11 second-half possessions, he scored 0-3 and assisted Johnny Heaneyās goal.
Great run finishing in a GOAL by @Galway_GAAās SeĆ”n Kelly!
@officialgaa
Source: The GAA/Twitter
When heās inside, Galway now look to hit Walsh with early kick-passes.
Itās notable how players have their heads raised when they have possession around the middle thirdā¦
Sean Kelly at midfield scans for a quick delivery inside.Source: TG4
ā¦looking to hit Walsh before the defence can filter back in front of him.
Michael Daly about to hit an early ball into Walsh from his own 65.Source: TG4
Quicker ball going in means Walsh has more space and time when he receives it. He can then turn and take on his man, without having to go backwards or sideways.
Source: TG4
Heās evidently encouraged to shoot at every opportunity. He had four shots at the posts inside the opening seven minutes, two off either foot. Heās one of the most natural two-footed forwards in the game.
Outside of David Clifford, there probably isnāt a player in the country more adept at shooting off either foot, which makes defending him a very tricky proposition.
Here, he cuts inside his marker Eoghan Ban Gallagher and draws three Donegal defenders to his left side. A quick shake of the hips and Walsh turns back onto his right to fire over the bar unopposed.
(Click here if you canāt view the clip above)
He has developed a unique and elaborate routine on his free-kicks too.
Source: TG4
(Click here if you canāt view the clip above)
Heās a creator as well as a scorer. Walsh picked out Comer to set-up a glorious goal chance in the opening period with this inch-perfect pass.
Source: TG4
(Click here if you canāt view the clip above)
The most telling statistic of all? Walsh touched the ball just twice inside his own half in the entire game, which will please Tribe supporters.
Itās still early days in the Joyce reign, but the signs are good. Walsh is playing with a renewed freedom and appears unburdened by the captaincy.
In fact, he looks invigorated with the leadership role and Galway are playing more attractive football than theyāve done in years.
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Galway Galway Galway
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Fuck Tyrone.